If you have a struggling reader, review phonics sound flashcards with your student daily. In addition, you can play simple phonics games with him. Sound cards can improve your student’s retention, and eventually, improve his reading accuracy and fluency. Last week, I discussed the best sound cards to introduce to your student. It is really easy to play phonics games with sound cards.

The simple phonics games below don’t involve a mess!

Before playing the simple phonics games, select phonics sounds to review

If you are following the Reading Elephant curriculum, here are your sound cards: a_, e_, i_, o_, u_, sh, th, ch, _tch, _ck, _ng, _ing, _ang. To review what each phonics sound says, review my post on phonics sounds.

Reading Elephant will offer consonant digraph books within a few days. I’m very excited to offer the consonant digraph book set. Also, I’m designing a complete comprehensive phonics books library.

Here are the simple phonics games:

Simple Phonics Games- Bird Watcher

Decorate a wall with bird cutouts. Write each phonics sound on each bird cutout. Put the cutouts randomly throughout the room, so your student has some difficulty finding them. Ask your student to find each phonics sound. Time your student. Each day, he’ll want to beat his previous record. Each day, rearrange the sounds so he doesn’t memorize their location. After he finds the sound card, ask him to say the sound. Here’s a sample of the game:

TEACHER: There are phonics birds perched in the room. Let’s find them. I’m going to time you to see how long it takes you! Find aaaaaaaa…

STUDENT: (finds sound card a_; be sure your student says each sound after finding it)

TEACHER: Sound?

STUDENT: aaaaa

TEACHER: Find ch

STUDENT: (Finds sound card ch)

TEACHER: Sound?

STUDENT: ch

Simple Phonics Games- Stargazer

Simple phonics games help kids review the sounds they need to know. In stargazer, put the phonics sounds on star cutouts. Place the star cutouts high on a wall. Turn out the lights. Have your student use a flashlight to locate each sound. As the teacher your cues are: “Find [say phonics sound]. Sound?” Here’s a sample:

TEACHER: We’re going to go stargazing. I’ve placed the sounds all over the sky. Take this flashlight. When I ask you to find a sound, shine a beam of light on it. Find wh_.

STUDENT: [shines the flashlight on wh_]

TEACHER: Sound?

STUDENT: wh_

If you’re a classroom teacher, you can have students come up to the class individually. You can also take control of the flashlight, shine the light on each sound unit yourself and ask for a classroom choral response with: “Sound?”

Simple Phonics Games-Fisherman

Set fish/sea animal cutouts on a table. Have your student collect fish. When he says and points to a sound, he earns the fish. See how many fish he can collect! As with all simple phonics games, make sure your student looks at the unit and says the sound.

TEACHER: You’re a fisherman. I’m going to ask you to find the sounds. When he select the correct sound, you earn a fish. Find “shhhh.”

STUDENT: [selects sh card] Shhh…

Simple Phonics Games- Pizza maker

Order a pizza with phonics sounds. Cut out a brown circle for the crust, a white circle for the cheese, red circles for the pepperoni sound cards, and green strips for bell pepper.

TEACHER: We’re going to make a pizza. You have all of these ingredients. As soon as you say the sound on each pepperoni card, you can put it on the pizza.

In this simple phonics game, the student can largely work independently. Just make sure he says the correct sound for each unit.

Simple Phonics Games- Fly Swatter

Place fly cutouts on a table. Ask the student to swat and say the sound.

TEACHER: Swat, “eeeee”

STUDENT: [uses fly swatter to hit the e_ as in elephant sound] eeee

In all simple phonics games, make sure your student LOOKS at the unit when saying the CORRECT sound.